[Insight & Opinion] Future Conversations

[Asia Economy] We live by having conversations every day. The conversation partners and topics vary. There are conversations with family, colleagues, and customers, and sometimes even with oneself. Reading is also a conversation with the author. The purposes of conversations range from small talk to learning, decision-making, and problem-solving. If we classify conversations based on time, they can be divided into those about the past, present, and future. Although there are no exact statistics, most of the conversations we have seem to be related to either the past or the present. In fact, over 90% of people's conversations are about events that happened in the recent days or things happening right now. Of course, there are also conversations about the future. Talking about what to eat for lunch, where to go on the weekend, or how the COVID-19 situation or real estate market might be are all examples of 'future conversations.'

Almost all conversations focus on the recent past, the present moment, and the near future. Conversations about the distant future, such as what the world might look like around 2030 or how future jobs will change, are extremely rare. Even if such conversations occur, they tend to be simple guesses and forecasts, and discussions about the future we hope for, prefer, or should pursue are hardly attempted.

However, people's attitudes toward time?past, present, and future?differ significantly from the time proportions reflected in actual conversations. Everyone tends to want the future to be better than the past and present. Therefore, people tend to think about the future more than the present in their minds. In that case, it is necessary to try to increase the proportion of future conversations in our dialogues accordingly.

The past we have lived and the present we are living are clearly recognizable, making conversations about them easier. In contrast, the future is a time that has not yet come and is intangible, making conversations about it relatively difficult. Therefore, while conversations about the near future on comfortable topics like weather, food, and travel are frequent, conversations about the more distant future are very rare. However, considering that individuals now need to live long lives of over 100 years and that socially, changes and uncertainties continue to increase, it is necessary to have more long-term future conversations both personally and socially.

Let us have more and more frequent future conversations within families as well. To prepare for a better future, openly discuss health, learning, dreams, and career paths without reservation. Try to have more frequent conversations with colleagues, mentors, and experts about the future of oneself and the organization. The same applies socially beyond individuals. Let us significantly strengthen open social dialogues about future issues that will continue to have a major impact on our society, such as the era of artificial intelligence (AI), future jobs, education problems, national pension, and the climate crisis.

As the 21st-century intellectual Yuval Harari said, around the year 1000 AD, there was almost no change. The past, present, and future looked almost the same, so future conversations were unnecessary. In contrast, now is an era of change. Especially at times like this, open conversations for the future are desperately needed. Open future conversations are a wise solution that aligns with the times, preparing a better future through collective intelligence. Now, for ourselves and for society, let us open the era of open future conversations.

Kim Hyun-gon, Director of the National Assembly Future Institute